On Will
XXIV. On Will
1. O God, Who art will and love!
May You remember Your servant,
who, to the best of his abilities, strives for Your honour.
2. Within His will, God possesses as much greatness
pertaining to <the> lover, loving and <the> beloved
as He does to <the> magnifier, magnifying and <the> magnified.
3. Since will is superior when it loves
than it is when it hates,
hatred cannot exist in God.
4. Greatness pertains to truth,
for therein resides a beloved
verifying, verifier and verified.
5. Just as wisdom achieves its perfection through knowing
goodness, greatness, eternity and power,
<so too> does will achieve its perfection through desiring them.
6. So greatly has God desired to love mankind,
in order to make us enamoured of Him,
that He has chosen to give Himself for man’s sake.
7. Whoever, as regards <his> will, is able to achieve concordance
between the nature of <the> lover, <the> loveable and loving,
is <likewise> able to protect himself against every vice.
8. In terms of will, virtuous love
and, in terms of friendship, a reliable memory
are of greater worth than all sensate good.
9. He who is well able to use <his> will
can be deceived by no thing,
nor can he lack any good.
10. No one can give more
than he who gives his love
without the intention of sinning.